Monday, June 22, 2015

Recently, Isabella sent me to the website for the House of Dun in Scotland to look at this shower bath
(please scroll down the left side of page), thereby reminding me I’d
seen some 19th century shower-baths before, and setting off a nerdy
historical search.

I distinctly remembered seeing one in the TV
series, Regency House Party, and the connected book. When you view the
image (second one down) at Jane Austen’s World, you may understand why it sticks in my memory. The blog post offers detailed information, which I won’t repeat.

But I will call your attention to the quotation from Godey’s, regarding the “high-peaked or extinguisher caps.” (Please see Leech caricature at left.)These were made of oil cloth. As we’ve discussed before, hair washing wasn’t as frequent in the past (and we’re debating now whether we wash our hair too often nowadays), and there was strong disagreement about whether it was a dangerous practice. There did seem to be agreement about not having a large amount of water pour down on your head.

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comments:

When an ear infection could lead to loss of hearing or even loss of life, in the absence of antibiotics and the harm caused by 'medical treatment' one can understand the reluctance to get water in one's ears.

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A Polite Explanation

There’s a big difference in how we use history. But we’re equally nuts about it. To us, the everyday details of life in the past are things to talk about, ponder, make fun of -- much in the way normal people talk about their favorite reality show.

We talk about who’s wearing what and who’s sleeping with whom. We try to sort out rumor or myth from fact. We thought there must be at least three other people out there who think history’s fascinating and fun, too. This blog is for them.